NIGHTMARE

chapter 31

Mikey's POV.

Y/N and I made our way out to the front of the castle.

In all honesty, I hadn't been here before, and regrettably so.

Miramare Castle was, to say the least, beautiful. Situated by the water on the coastline of Trieste, the view was stunning.

We descended the courtyard stairs, which were lined with well-kept vines and rose bushes.

A fountain sprung water from its mouth as we made our way to the boardwalk at the bottom of the property, finding a seat by the water.

"We'll watch the last of the sunset before the others arrive," I told Y/N, glancing at her as she stared off into the distance, across the ocean.

"The calm before the storm," she replied softly, slumping her shoulders forward and placing her hands on top of each other in her lap.

"Do you miss Japan?" I asked quietly; it was a touchy question, especially for me to ask after learning how and why she had come to Italy in the first place.

"Not the place, no, where I lived in Japan wasn't very nice, but the people," she let out a long and drawn-out sigh, "yeah, I miss them a lot."

"Do you have family there?" I asked her. I knew I was stepping on thin ice; talking about such sensitive topics was like poking a sleeping lion.

"Only a brother; my parents walked out on us when we were young. We've been in the foster system since, kind of just in and out of temporary homes," she replied, and my heart sank.

"And your brother, how old is he?" I asked.

"Fourteen now, I think; I don't see him a lot," she shrugged. The conversation clearly bothering her, I decided to end it while she was still holding back the tears.

We sat in awkward silence for what felt like hours.

"And you?" she began suddenly. "Do you have any family?" My heart stopped and my chest became unbelievably tight.

I let out a loud cough, also taking my gaze out to sea so as not to look at her.

"Uh, no. No, I don't," I stated bluntly, fidgeting with the rings on my fingers in my lap.

"Are you alive or..." she trailed off, noticing my reaction to the question. I wasn't upset; I had started the conversation; I just wasn't prepared for it to take a turn and proceed like this.

"Yes; they are. I just don't have anything to do with them anymore." I paused, waiting for her to say something, but her voice never came. "We should go stand at the entrance anyhow; our guests should be arriving now." I stood up quicker than I intended to, making my uncomfortableness even more noticeable than it already was.

"Yes, I suppose we should." She stood up also and followed my lead back to the entrance of the castle.

It must have been the most awkward three minutes of my life just standing there in silence before, finally, a car pulled into sight, rolling down the driveway.

Out of it, a short man with slightly feminine features. His hair is fashioned in a striped pattern dyed in the colors of purple and blond and is often tied in a ponytail with a loose strand of each color cascading the sides of his face. wearing a baby blue suit, sunglasses stuck to his eyes as he fixed the Rolex on his wrist.

From the passenger side, out came a woman, dressed in a black dress that hugged her body, her black straight hair flowing down her back.

I nodded as the two of them approached Y/N and me.